Today’s post was written by one of our wonderful volunteers, Shaharima Parvin, Library Circulation Officer from East West University:

Whatever we are today or we will be in the far future, is defined by what we were in the past, where we came from and how we got here to the present. I would like to go back in 2nd millennium and mention David Hume (1711-1776). He was British Philosopher, Economist and Historian but served as Librarian from 1752-57 at the Library of the Faculty of the Advocates at Edinburgh, where he wrote his “History of England”.

Every country has a glorious history. Bangladesh has a history ofsupreme sacrifice, unbelievable bravery and valor and greatachievement. Modern Bangladesh emerged as an independent nation in 1971 after breaking away and achieving independence from Pakistan in the Bangladesh liberation war. Librarians began as historians must have to preserve their country’s history as well as convey this history to our young generation. Librarians act so many duties as historian, teacher, social workers and so on. As I am doing a noble profession and I do believe that it is one of our core responsibilities to preserve every material related to our country’s history and inform our patrons. It just not only hears about the history but also try to create an environment to feel deep love and compassion to their country and filled withpride at the thought of what this country’s people have achieved.

East West University Library is one of the pioneer academic libraries in Bangladesh in terms of commencing variety of services.East West University Library has ‘Liberation War Corner’, inaugurated during celebration program of Independence Day on 26 March 2016. The corner was designed with the spirit of Liberation War and contains a rich number of national and international books, CD-ROMs and documentaries on Liberation War of Bangladesh. The corner has been developed to strengthen the spirit of Liberation war and increase the knowledge on history of liberation war among the university community. Video clips and CDs are available for the library users to see and feel the glorious struggle on a day to day basis throughout the nine months of 1971. Bangladesh Liberation war was known as people’s war. Countlessstudents, farmers, workers and people from all spheres of life tookpart. The indigenous people from the plain land and hill also joinedthe liberation war. They had no shoes on their feet or clothes ontheir backs and no necessary weaponry but they had fearless courageous and strength to attain independence. In 3rd millennium, Librarians have contemporary technologies and these are recurrent. Therefore, we need to incorporate and make environment of our county’s glorious history in every kind of libraries and serve as “Guardian of Historic Culture”.

As an historian, university academic, and librarian, I enjoyed your piece. It reminds us of the enormous struggles of different cultures to achieve autonomy and a sense of secure wellbeing. Sad to say, history is littered with failed national identities.
I am currently studying Rohingya refugees, and their social and political isolation in their region. They are stateless social outcasts, unwelcome in Myanmar, and surrounding countries, including Bangladesh. Rohingyas are historical meat in the rotten identity sandwich.
My project explores how mobile phones can assist asylum seekers (like Rohingya) to maintain family networks, to form supportive groups, to access health information, and to improve their work prospects. Refugee camps (such as Cox’s Landing in Bangladesh) are not conducive to liberated, normal lives.

I appreciated your feelings. Bangladesh government has long been trying to resolve the Rohingyas crisis. Our government has introduced free education up to class VI, vocational skill training, computer training, and primary and secondary healthcare to prepare the Rohingyas for a better life.